Made 4 HIM

Made in HIS Image for HIS Glory

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This post has been a long, LONG time in coming.
My apologies. I have owed you ALL some explanation for why there has been a 5 month hiatus from the blog. And somehow that made it harder to get started. There has been a LOT going on in the time I've taken a break. Last fall, my sister and I went to San Francisco, and it was a blast. I hugely enjoyed my time there. And then in December, I went with my baby brother, my best friend and HER baby brother (who might as well be MY baby brother

Thanksgiving has been one of my favorite holidays for... well, ever. I can't remember a year where we didn't spend the holiday with family. I've been blessed beyond belief to not have to work on Thanksgiving for my entire working career. This was the year that changed.
I work in EMS and Fire. We are never guaranteed to have the holiday off to spend with family. That's part of the deal. We never close, so... someone is working and away from home on every holiday and special day

Balance is something I can't seem to find often. I try and try and try... but at the end of the day, the balance between work and time off, time with family and time alone, time working on writing projects and time spent DOING things... it never seems to quite add up to an equal sum.
What I have found, is that instead of the "descent into madness" and the "heights of exultation," I have the steadiness of walking through life's challenges and through the joys. I'm not really one for living in

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.
That was a saying or proverb I remember reading a long time ago, right before running my first 5K with my sister. This was a special day, because it was the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 5K in Columbus, Ohio. My sister had beaten breast cancer the previous October, and I had been training for this run since March.
My sister decided she would run the race in her cowboy boots, cowboy hat, and jeans. Not exactly the best

WIP Joy September, Part 3
Okay, I got impatient and decided to finish this all up at the same time. You know the drill, this is part three of a month long challenge hosted by Bethany A. Jennings (@simmeringmind on Twitter). ENJOY!
Deep Stuff Week
18. Share a line that hints at your theme.
"Family doesn't let family stand alone."
19. What’s one big reason you’re writing this story?
Hmm. It is a story I have been trying to tell for years, and it has moved from a "retelling" of a

I was on my way to Rockford, Illinois for a WWII reenactment when I received the news that my (adopted) Uncle Phil had died on Wednesday September 21 at 0630. It’s been a horrible year – he’s the third uncle I’ve lost this year.
This post wasn’t written on 9-22-16, because of multiple reasons (gone for my WWII reenactment)… but I wanted to put it here because this is where it happened.
I haven’t had a moment to think about it, not really. Nor do I even know where to start. The beginning…

Yesterday was 9-11. The fifteenth anniversary, actually. I know the world was remembering it -- some with tears and memories, others with memorial services. We have a generation growing up that didn't live through it. For my generation, I think of it as our "Pearl Harbor" memory. Everyone from the World War II generation knows exactly where they were on that day, and what they were doing when they found out.
The next generation? Where were you when Kennedy was shot? For mine? Where were

You've read a few blog posts about how my week was leading up to the OSR weekend of "mandatory fun" (aka you will enjoy yourself or I will punch you in the throat... This is totally a joke, people, I promise. Really.)... if you haven't, let me catch you up: I am an introvert. I don't like crowds in social setting. My baby brother asked me to come, God opened the door, I knew this was where I was supposed to be... and the enemy tried to destroy my peace spectacularly.
Long story short? I

Sunday afternoon my parents, little brother and a friend-turned-adopted-sister from Texas went to see Star Trek Beyond. My little brother and I had already seen it, but I was more than prepared to see it again.
Spoilers, if you haven't seen it and want to... YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
This is the third installment of the newest Star Trek movies, following Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). Starring Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, John Cho and

As I went through the 4th of July this year, I was aware of a few things that felt different this year.
The parade was as long and as well attended as it normally is by the public, despite the gray skies and threatening showers. The kids and people lining the streets are truly wonderful and unstinting with their support of the fire department, trucks and honor guard.
The turnout from our members... well, that was a little harder. I'm only a part timer, and I know how hard it is to juggle

I have been putting this post off literally all week. On Sunday, I found out my great Uncle had died after a long battle with Parkinson's. He died at home, surrounded by family. He was 91. And he was a surrogate grandpa for my family after we lost my grandpa when I was three.
The family on my mom's side has always been near and dear to my heart -- they simply reach out and collect everyone unconditionally into the "family". You don't have to ask, you are simply accepted.
I knew today

In the middle of a world screaming out what a woman should be, is it any wonder that women are frustrated, exhausted, confused and wondering if we are failing?
Feminism. Now there's a loaded term. It tends to mean something uniquely different to each and every person, male or female, out there today. For some, it means the screaming, uber-offended-if-you-hold-the-door-open female. For others, it means working to ensure women get the same chance at education, pay and jobs.
The actual

Death is certain. Life is not.
Monday I was reminded of this. One of my great-uncles died. Since I was off work, I volunteered to drive my mom to the Cleveland area for the funeral service. None of us had been able to attend the calling hours prior to the funeral.
I've lost a lot of my great-uncles and great-aunts, and both my grandparents on my mom's side had died years ago. The last funeral I can remember attending (due to work, etc) is the one for my Aunt, my mom's sister. That had

Made 4 Him

Made 4 Him is the blog I started this January, and I would like to welcome you to the adventure.

I have one goal: to carry the presence of Christ with me wherever I go, to reflect Christ in all I do, and worship Him with my life. I was made for a purpose, with a grand and glorious adventure ahead of me. I believe God gave us LIFE, and He intends us to have life to the FULL.

My purpose and goal in writing and hosting a blog is simply to glorify Him. Why do I write? Because that's what He created me to do. I can't NOT write.

Writing is the way I can share the things God is showing me, teaching me and encouraging me as I walk. Hebrews 10:23-25 comes to mind: "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." (ESV)

I want my writing to encourage others and build them up in Christ. As a writer, I am a signpost pointing back to Christ, always being ready to answer those who want to know more about the hope that I cling to.

I want every bit of my writing, from humor about EMS scenarios or sharing about my writing process to have that overarching theme -- my faith may not be defined and stated in each line, but it is part of the fabric of who I am, so much so that there can be no doubt about who I serve or where I stand.

My blog doesn't have a simple topic I am writing about, because life isn't simple. I'm not a machine that only can function and complete one task. He created me to be a writer, but He also has placed me in a position to serve Him as a paramedic and a firefighter. He is challenging me physically with running, swimming and biking. He has blessed me with opportunities to travel.

In the Old Testament it talks about the the words of God's commandments being on your heart, taught to your children... talked of as you sit at home, as you walk along the roads, when you rise up and when you lie down, written on your doorposts and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6) This is how my faith should be, and everything flows out as an extension of my faith.

My blog is about the journey and the adventure He is taking me on, the situations and people and lessons I am learning as I go.I believe writing should make a difference, be meaningful, to have a purpose. Sometimes, that purpose is simply to fulfill the calling placed on my life. It is a way to process and understand what He is sharing with me. It is a way for me to document the mile stones along my path in following Him, so I can look back and see where I have walked.

And at the end of the day... my hope and my passion is that everything in my life would glorify Christ.